Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital 49 --- General Discussion Room

06. Riddler (Ed) - 500 Miles High Both the arrangement and the performance were stunning - wonderful, Ed!

07. Pianist685 (Constantin) - Moonrise A very sweet piece, so delicately played. I actually have a list of works by other composers to explore one day, when I run out of challenges from you-know-who ; I'll have to add this piece to the list.

08. Ganddalf - Nocturne Op.32 no.1 I’m not qualified to comment on technicalities but I *can* tell you that I thought that was beautifully played - thank you!

09. Jerzyk19 - Prelude in E minor Op 28 No 4 A Chopin favourite of mine. Oh, to have been able to play like this after just 18 months! Congratulations!

10. zsolpyW - I fix my eye in thin I love hearing new-to-me composers in these Recitals, and this was impressive. You did Glenc proud.

Some more comments.

02. earlofmar – Beethoven Bagatelle You are absolutely right, Beethoven’s Bagatelles are anything but that. He wrote even more sophisticated ones in his late years, some of which I cannot understand let alone play. This one here is feasible, and you did it very well. The trills are all okay. I would prefer some ritardando at the end.

03. Monica K. - Gravity I did not know the composer before, but I found on Wikipedia that he is German, returned to composing and performing in 2011 after some absence from the music business. I find the piece much Einaudi-like, and by coincidence you are endorsing my remark that there are many other great composers of minimal music. You found one of them in Germany, I found another in the US in mutual admiration.

05. PianogrlNW (Ellen) - Shenandoah Wow, Keith Jarrett... Rather romantic arrangement of an all-time great. 10ths, hmmm... I am playing them in an arpeggio style, that works well.

14. SwissMiss – Valses venezolanos no. 1 One thing I particularly like about PW is the possibility to discover new pieces every day. So they are playing waltzes in Venezuela? Your recording is fantastic, as usual, and it seems your Boesendorfer has not suffered from the tempest you had recently. The story you invented seems to fit to the piece. I wonder if Miguel Astor gave background information on his composition in any way, though.

26. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - The town I loved so well What a melancholic song on such a sad topic. But the last lines of the lyrics give at least some hope, provided the prayer will be heard. Your rendition is quite appropriate, and Phil Coulter would surely like it. I knew Coulter already, some of his pieces are regularly played on Classic Radio in Germany, mostly his “Coulter Ghost”.

23. Peterws. - a lovely way for me to start my morning by listening to your lively and wonderful playing. A great undertaking and nicely done!

24. MeganR. This is weird but the beginning of this reminds me of "Mountain" by Einuidi. That said.... Short, sweet, and well played.

26. Casinitaly. An absolutely lovely piece. I can tell you really love it by the care and warmth you give it.

A few more.

21. Moo - Songs Without Words Op.67 no.5 in B Minor

I enjoyed it - I gave it a thumbs up I also like the simplistic recording method.

25. Greener/Jeff - Nocturne in Em, Posthumous. Opus 72, no. 1

Very nice. I always enjoy listening to Chopin.

27. Keselo - Waltz

Well done. I don't think I've heard of Shostakovich until now. I'll have to explore more of his work.

29. Ralph L. - Introduction and dance (piano+keyboard)

Nice job, Ralph. I liked the added accompaniment.

43. noobpianist90 - Divertimento in G Major Hob. XVI: 8

Very pretty and relaxing. I really enjoyed watching that. Well done.

01. SMA55 Yeoww.... that is some beautiful playing on what is such a technical piece. Well, well done.

20. JoBert - Venetian Gondola Song (Songs Without Words - Opus 19, No. 6)
JoBert, that is really quite a pretty piece, lots of switching back between major and minor tonalities in a very appealing way. You must have worked on the fingering quite a bit, I think I hear a lot of melodies being played in thirds, they sounded quite even and quite good. Well done.

23. peterws - Mozart K331
Peter, that was very impressive, and very enjoyable to listen to. You say you took a few liberties? Okay, fine with me, whatever it takes to convert a difficult piece into a playable piece. I do it all the time. By the way, I can't help wondering what the folks were doing on the mountaintop in your video.

26. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - The Town I loved So Well
Cheryl, that was quite touching, and played beautifully. It's a sad tale isn't it? The particulars may be different, but we have all experienced something like this with our hometowns. Your playing brings that point home quite well.

28. GoldmanT - Memories of Green
Goldman, wonderful work on the Vangelis piece. To me it had a feeling of nostalgia, sadness. You do quite an impressive job on those arpeggios, especially the ones that pass from the left hand to the right hand; it all sounded rather seamless. Well done

33. sinophilia - Prelude in A Major op. 28 no. 7
Sinophilia, good work on the Chopin Prelude. I enjoyed it a lot. Funny, isn't it, how we sometimes make progress overnight, when we are not expecting it?


Ed

6. Riddler-Always a pleasure listening to your playing and this (of course) is no exception. What a delight!

7. Pianist685- It's funny but I wouldn't label this as "Minimal music"... but then I'm not sure what that label even means. It's just a very lovely piece. Very poignant and a bit dramatic. Very nicely played.

8. Gandolf- I agree, such a lovely work. One of my favorites as well. You play it wonderful and with great feeling. A joy to listen to.

Riddler

Thx for the comment, Ed. The hills are an easy drive from where I live; used to bike over 'em a few years ago regularly. You often get a bunch of walkers here, probably celebrating the Summer Solstice, or whatever. They're a weird lot . . . . :):

Third batch, and then time for a break to watch more breath-taking Curling competition in the Olympics. (Does a more useless sport exist than curling? I don't know.)

21. Moo - Songs Without Words Op.67 no.5 in B Minor: I wasn’t familiar with this piece from Songs Without Words, but I liked its almost minimalist flair and how brooding and calm you played it.

22. fishandchips - Invention 2 in C Minor BWV 773: Another challenging Bach invention! You keep the different voices clear and distinct in your playing.

23. peterws - Mozart K331: You should feel rightly proud of this performance... the ornamentations (at that blistering tempo!) alone were impressive. The joy you had in playing this shines through.

24. MeganR - Summer Drought: Your playing captures well the contradictory and somewhat ominous tone of the title of the piece–summer *should* be a pleasant time, but not when there’s a drought. The discordant notes and chords make this an edgy, unsettling piece, which is not bad: Music is here to inspire and educate us, and sometimes in dark ways.

25. Greener/Jeff - Nocturne in Em, Posthumous. Opus 72, no. 1: You call this one of the “easier” nocturnes, but it sure didn’t look easy to me–the left hand remains busy, and those runs in the right hand would give me conniptions. I thought you did a great job, and I loved the orchids on your piano.

26. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - The Town I loved So Well: What a beautiful, sad song. I was so compelled by the lyrics that I looked up Coulter’s original recording. I agree completely with you; there’s a poignancy to this piece, and you do a great job of expressing it.

27. Keselo - Waltz: When I think of Shostakovich, I don’t think of waltzes! I didn’t know he even composed waltzes. You give this piece a lilting, sad air that’s very pleasing. I think the tempo you’re playing it at now is perfect for it.

28. GoldmanT - Memories of Green: Oh, Blade Runner is such a great movie... and the soundtrack had a lot to do with that. I love your playing of this contemplative piece filled with both regret and–as your final chord attests–hope. I can see why this is your ‘desert island’ piece.

29. Ralph L. - Introduction and dance (piano+keyboard): Ohmigosh... I had no idea that your piece was “Those were the days...” until I started listening to it. This was one of my (deceased) mother’s favorite songs, and she used to sing it to us all the time in my childhood. I’ve got tears in my eyes listening to you. I like the transition from slow, sad solo piano beginning to the jazzier section with added instrumentation. I just wish it were longer. Thank you!

30. Medden - Giorni Dispari: This is one of my favorite Einaudi piano solos, and one of the ten or so I’ve kept permanently memorized. You play this nicely, with a languid delicacy, especially that beautiful high interlude from 4:30-4:48. Your tempo is slower than Einaudi’s, but I think the slower tempo works intriguingly well in this piece.

A few more ...

01. SMA55 (Shepherd) - Liebestraum

If you made mistakes, I wouldn't know. I think we are much more critical of our own performance, than we are of others that perform. My teacher on the other hand is not hesitant to say what's wrong. Sounded great to me. Enjoyed the slideshow

02. earlofmar - Bagatelle No 11, Op

Nice job, earlofmar. So what is the pencil trick to playing chords legato?

04. MarieJ - Dolce Droga

Very nice, dolce Which Pianoteq setting did you use?

05. PianogrlNW (Ellen) - Shenandoah

Pretty and eloquent. Out of curiosity, what sort of chord rearrangements do you do when you come across 10ths? I can't span those either. In I Giorni, I moved some of the 10ths down to an octave.

Dan, I have Pianoteq 6 Stage, Steinway B Prelude. I calibrated the velocity curve for my Kawai ES110 but even with the built-in assistant I feel it’s a bit hit-and-miss (and anyway, I prefer to spend more time playing than tinkering with settings ).

11. Peyton - Etude #6 Wow! What a complex, difficult piece - and what a masterful rendition. Bravo!

12. Sandalholme - Mazurka Op24 No2 That was simply a delight. Lovely!

13. Tootles/Laurie - I Want to Hold Your Hand From one very late starter to another: congratulations on your first Recital, and on your achievements after only 3 months at the piano. Well done!

14. SwissMS/Doris - Valses venezolanos #1 Adriana I enjoyed your performance of this unusual piece, your accompanying story, and your beautiful Bosendorfer, very much!

15. Piano2138 - Menuet BWV Anh 132 Crisp, clear, gently played - nicely handled, particularly after only 22 months .

16. h8dk97 - Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor I love this Nocturne and your playing was very impressive! You must be putting in an enormous amount of effort to reach that standard in such a short time.

17. Anita Potter - Zum Anfang Doesn’t it make you feel good when you finally reach a recording standard on a piece you love? Well done!

18. dumka1 - Mazurka op. 7 no. 1 Your enjoyment clearly shows here - I liked the brightness and changes of mood.

19. cmb13 - Consolation in E Maj, Op 30, No 3 A new one to me, a little bit sombre but still very pleasing. I’d say you achieved your goal of bringing out the musicality of this piece.

20. JoBert - Venetian Gondola Song (Songs Without Words - Opus 19, No. 6) Just beautiful - a sensitive, polished performance of a rather haunting composition.

13. Tootles/Laurie - I Want to Hold Your Hand I love this! You are really doing well for only three months on the bench. It sounds like you were having fun with it.

15. Piano2138 - Menuet BWV Anh 132 You have nice clear articulation, and good balance between the voices. Very good playing.

16. h8dk97 - Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor I never get tired of hearing this piece! I played it for my ABRSM grade 7 last year. You have a really nicely projected melody, and nice termination on your trills. This is a great job for 2½ years experience!

17. Anita Potter - Zum Anfang That is a busy little piece. I like your steady rhythm and spritely melody!

18. dumka1 - Mazurka op. 7 no. 1 I love the bouncy rhythm of this Mazurka. You really do a great job of singing the melody and keeping the piece skipping along. Great job!

19. cmb13 - Consolation in E Maj, Op 30, No 3 I really like this SWW. To me is is quite reflective. You bring out that quality very well. The piece had very nice flow, and the voicing and phrasing were very nice.

20. JoBert - Venetian Gondola Song (Songs Without Words - Opus 19, No. 6) I love the gentle treatment that you gave this piece. It is a quiet float down the river. Everything has a beautiful continuity. Well done!

21. Moo - Songs Without Words Op.67 no.5 in B Minor This SWW is new to me. I like the sense of strength that you give the piece. Well done.

22. fishandchips - Invention 2 in C Minor BWV 773 Nice mordents and nice balance between the voices. I like you steady tempo and precision.

23. peterws - Mozart K331 Beautiful articulation! Mozart is so transparent, that presenting an entire sonata is quite an undertaking. I like your well projected melody line over a well subdued accompaniment. This sonata is lovely, with a lot of contrasts.

24. MeganR - Summer Drought What an interesting, impressionist piece! I like the way that you paced the piece. You give it a mysterious aire and a sense of tension. Nice job.

25. Greener/Jeff - Nocturne in Em, Posthumous. Opus 72, no. 1 This was the first Chopin nocturne that I learned long ago. It has such a sense of tension and resolution. You do a beautiful job of capturing this. Your trills are lovely, and you handled those narly runs very well!

26. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - The Town I loved So Well What a sad story! You captured that feeling of loss very well in your playing. You have such a bigger sound in your playing of this than in previous pieces I have heard you play. You truly own this piece and your confidence is shining through!

13. Tootles/Laurie - I Want to Hold Your Hand

The truth is bound to come out eventually - Laurie is my wife of 38 years, and I am her piano teacher. I would like to take credit for her excellent progress, but, in truth, she's been playing clarinet since she was a kid, so she can read music, and count, and knows quite a bit of theory. Plus she is diligent about practicing, which helps a lot.

Also helpful are the excellent arrangements by the Fabers. They have a way of making simple arrangements sound much more difficult than they are. So if you are a beginner, I urge to check out some of their books - this one is Level 1.

Great job Laurie! I'm so proud of you...

Sam

Wonderful recital! I had a marathon listening session this morning before the sun came up - a great way to start the day!

I listened to everyone, but if I didn't comment please don't feel slighted - I focus on classical for the most part.

01. SMA55 (Shepherd) - Liebestraum Just wonderful Shepherd - you should be proud of that performance!

02. earlofmar - Bagatelle No 11, Op Very nicely done - the trills sounded great to me!

03. Monica K. - Gravity Never heard of this composer - he is similar to Einaudi - I can see why you picked it. Love it when the energy increases in the middle. Excellent playing as always!

08. Ganddalf - Nocturne Op.32 no.1 Well done - you had me from the beginning! Love the smooth thirds - they always remind me of two sopranos singing a duet.

09. Jerzyk19 - Prelude in E minor Op 28 No 4 Yes, we all play this at some point - but that doesn't detract from the fact that it is great music - loved it. I thought the balance between the hands was well done.

11. Peyton - Etude #6 Very engaging performance Peyton - I find most of Glass too repetitive and unfortunately boring, but this piece, or your playing(!), captured my attention.

12. Sandalholme - Mazurka Op24 No2 Very lively and sparkly - loved it!

14. SwissMS/Doris - Valses venezolanos #1 Adriana Very interesting! And so well done! I'm impressed!

15. Piano2138 - Menuet BWV Anh 132 Regardless of who wrote it, it is an excellent example of a baroque minuet - well done!

16. h8dk97 - Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor Just heard one of my fellow students at university play this in recital. Your version would compare favorably - good job!

17. Anita Potter - Zum Anfang Very elegant! Makes me want to look it up and play it!

18. dumka1 - Mazurka op. 7 no. 1 You captured the spirit and lively dance of the Mazurka - loved it!

19. cmb13 - Consolation in E Maj, Op 30, No 3 I played this one! Or at least tried to - I think you did a much better job at it than i ever did. Loved the chord progressions - you made them sound very lush and satisfying.

20. JoBert - Venetian Gondola Song (Songs Without Words - Opus 19, No. 6) I played this one too! Love the feel of the water lapping at the side of the boat. Excellent playing!

21. Moo - Songs Without Words Op.67 no.5 in B Minor I always meant to learn this one - but too many pieces, not enough time. Very convincing performance!

22. fishandchips - Invention 2 in C Minor BWV 773 Outstanding job for only 15 months!

23. peterws - Mozart K331 Gotta love Mozart! But he is so hard to pull off, as I am learning now, unfortunately. These theme and variation movements are the hardest too - to make them all sound of a piece. You did a great job - and Mozart will forgive a few liberties!

24. MeganR - Summer Drought Very cool piece - loved the interesting sounds. Very well played.

25. Greener/Jeff - Nocturne in Em, Posthumous. Opus 72, no. 1 Not familiar with this one, but you have convinced me with your playing - excellent!

26. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - The Town I loved So Well It's great when we have an emotional connection to a piece (or song!), and I can hear your connection with this coming out as you play. Thanks for sharing your music with us...

27. Keselo - Waltz Very nice touch - light and perfect for this piece - well done!

31. Muhwu - Schumann - Knecht Ruprecht - Op. 68 No. 12 I played this too - love the masculine mood of the opening and closing, against the different mood in the middle - well done!

32. pianopi - Allemande from French Suite in G Major, BWV 816 Elegant and stately - you captured a wonderful baroque mood!

33. sinophilia - Prelude in A Major op. 28 no. 7 This one is plenty scary for me - but your playing was lovely!

34. timmyab - op102 no4 Never played this one, but listened to it many times. Excellent job of bring out the melody surrounded by the blur of accompaniment!

36. mel_lem (Melanie) - Sonatina Op. 88, No. 2 "Rondo" Love Kuhlau! I think you have mastered the "Sonatina" phase - time to move on to "Sonata" phase!

38. FrankieC - Intermezzo in A Major, Opus 118, No. 2 I have tried this piece in the past and failed - you're doing a much better job at it than I ever did. Excellent!

40. Piano_primo_1 - Little Serenade You captured the right style - very Haydnesque! Loved it!

41. that'sRich - Mazurka in F Minor. Opus 57 No.3 from Trois morceaux. The Russians loved to be sad and bitter - it was a delicious feeling that they relished, I think. You captured it!

43. noobpianist90 - Divertimento in G Major Hob. XVI: 8 Wonderful style - so elegant and light!

45. joangolfing - Reverie (Sweet Dreams) I have heard this many times but never realized it was by Tchaikovsky (or just forgot). Wonderful job of bringing out that lower voice in the middle. Loved it!

46. LadyAcadia - Carnival of Venice Oh yes, we have all played this too - a folk song arranged by many people, including Paganini. Well done!

48. Greywullf - Chopin Prelude Op. 28, No. 6 Love the sonorous quality of this - nicely done!

49. Muove - Schumann - Op. 68 nr. 6 - Armes Waisenkind You have made a lot of progress! I kind of like the contrast between the short chords and the legato chords. Well done!

50. Yamaha G3 & P-80, Mike White - Knowing When To Leave Glad to see (and hear) that you are back! Wonderful energy on this! Don't miss another recital!

51. thepianoplayer416 - Goldberg Var. #30 & Aria - BWV988 The Gould recordings are legendary - don't know how he did it! Loved your version! This is a piece that would probably take a lifetime for us normal people.

52. Micael K - Nocturne in Eb Major, Op. 9 No. 2 One of my favorites! Excellent playing!

54. chopinoholic (Paul de Koning) - Prelude op.23 no.4 D major Hope to get to Rachmaninoff someday! I think you caught the mood of it very well!

55. dddaaannn - Fantasia in C Major Love the rock-solid steady feel of this and the different articulations. Very baroque!

Thanks!
Sam

A very big Thank You! to the folks that collected our recitals. It's wonderfully organized on wiki. I'm looking forward to experience the musical pieces in the coming days.

Thank you for the encouraging words. This was my first on-line piano recital experience and it was a positive one! Have a wonderful day!😀

I hear you on that. I've been using Pianoteq less recently, and just sticking with the sound of the piano. Sometimes I do blend a random Model B setting with the internal sound for something different. The Prelude setting is one of my favorites though.

Here are a few more.

06. Riddler (Ed) - 500 Miles High

Sounds like Jazz, well done I'm not really a jazz person, but this makes me want to listen to more of it.

07. Pianist685 (Constantin) - Moonrise

I thought this was the adult beginner's forum? You're like a professional or something. The Crain piece is pretty. I'm going to listen to some of your other stuff on IMSLP.

08. Ganddalf - Nocturne Op.32 no.1

Very nice. Maybe in 50 years I can play that. I noticed you are using an N1 and recording with a Zoom though, from the speaker output of the piano? Sounds very good.

12. Sandalholme - Mazurka Op24 No2

More Chopin, never gets old. Well done.

13. Tootles/Laurie - I Want to Hold Your Hand

Welcome to the forums, Laurie. You did a great job. Keep participating!

It would be cool if someone could build a Roku channel as front end to these recitals, and show the information people submitted while the piece plays.

A couple more. Will have to listen to more later tonight.

14. SwissMS/Doris - Valses venezolanos #1 Adriana

I really enjoyed that, piano sounds wonderful. I think I heard something drop on the floor half way through

15. Piano2138 - Menuet BWV Anh 132

Great job! Well done. I particulary like that piece. It was in the recent issue of Pianist magazine. I'd like to give it a try sometime.

16. h8dk97 - Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor

I thought this was amazing. Thanks for sharing. The Yamaha sounds great.

I don't know exactly what a Roku channel is ---- I read the info and open the music under a different tab